Goat Milk Butter: Make it without a Separator

(Page 2 of 2)

July/August 1978
By Shirley N. Bliley 
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Whip the cream until it's stiff . . . and keep right on beating. As you pass the "whipped cream" stage, the action of your mixer will become less labored and-within minutes-you'll begin to see butter forming as tiny "grains" surrounded by a milky fluid. (The liquid splatters like crazy, so be ready for it! ) Turn the mixer off as soon as the grains of butter begin to crowd and clump together in the buttermilk.

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Next, pour the buttermilk off into a measuring cup (there'll be about one cup per pint of cream) and keep it to use in biscuits, pancakes, or corn bread. Then measure out as much cool water as you have buttermilk . . . and use the water to rinse the butter as you run your mixer on low speed. Rinse the butter two more times in the same way with cool water and then twice again in two cups (each time) of ice water from the refrigerator. ( Scrape the butter off the beaters with a spatula between rinses.)

After the last rinse, scrape the butter into a pile against the side of the mixing bowl andusing a wooden spoon-work out the water by repeatedly folding the creamy mass over on itself. ( Pour off excess water as you go.) This process takes from 10 to 15 minutes. Don't be surprised if your hand gets tired!

Once you've worked all the excess moisture from the butter, you may want to press it into a pad or cake. If you have a wooden butter mold, be sure to rinse it in cool water before you begin so the spread won't stick to the form's inside. (If the mold hasn't seen any action for some time, it'll have to be "seasoned" by regular use before it can be expected to give dependable results.)

Let the packed mold sit in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes before turning the butter out onto a plate. When you've finished, you'll have a half-pound cake of butter (assuming you started with one pint of cream) that's milkwhite in color and deliciously mild in taste. I don't add any salt to mine, but-if you like-you can work some into your spread just before it's molded.

There you have it: My sure-fire recipe for homemade goat butter sans separator. It may seem like a lot of trouble for just a half-pound of butter . . . but, actually, the process goes quite quickly with practice. (Even if it didn't, the end result would still be worth it to me.)

So, while you're saving your pennies for that fancy cream separator . . . why not just go ahead, get out your mixer, and make up some no-fuss goat butter?

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  • Runnamuck Farm 4/27/2009 9:01:00 AM

    Hi,
    Thank you for this article! I use this same method except I use a Quisinart with the dough blade instead of the mixer. No spatters, and I just turn it on and forget it for 10 - 15 minutes. After using this method a few times I have learned to listen for the change in consistency to determine when the butter is ready: at first it sounds really sloppy, then it sounds muffled as the whipped cream forms, then really sloppy again as the butter separates. I also strain mine and rinse, too, through cheesecloth in a Victoria strainer, before turning it out onto a piece of saran wrap to work the salt in (or not, as the mood strikes) then just roll it up in the saran wrap, twist the ends, then put it in the fridge. Amazingly easy and wonderful homemade butter!
    ~Paula

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